>> Monday, December 21, 2009

I wanted to say in a nutshell, but I realized that there is no nutshell version of this semester. It was hard, but we persevered and (grades pending) conquered.

Saturday's are now restored to me and I will sleep in till ten or eleven until the nightmare that was Saturday morning class is behind me. 3-4 years perhaps?

Transcribing is behind me. I guess that isn't accurate either. I have an oppurturnity to do another project, but the idea at the moment makes me want to maim myself in some way. It would also cost me the equivalent of another class... Not a good sign right? Priceless project checked off though, and really at the moment thats good enough for me.

I survived Latin much better than I had anticipated with one measely semester needed for a minor. >Sigh< I guess I should explain that when I turned in my graduation application I did not put a minor on it and so even if I did the necessary steps for the minor, it wouldn't show up as part of my bachelor's degree, because I did not get the necessary signatures at the appointed time.

So here's to next semester with only 3 classes.

Couples Ballroom Dance with Ryan!Star Trek: The Quest 2 Be Human!and one final Lit history class.

Cakewalk? I think so! But after putting myself through a meat grinder this semester, I feel I totally deserve this.

Ryan's semester went much like this:

Mac people working with PC people equals epic war.

Ok so it wasn't that bad, however, designing a video game with people who can't make decisions, don't stick to what they decid and don't communicate with people equals the worst experiment since The Stanford Zimbardo 1971 Prison Experiment.

But as of late I think of most group projects this way. Lucky for me I can easily let someone else lead or if need be swoop in and take control. However, when a group project is set up so that your boss/fellow student controls your grade along with anyone else they are over, I get squeamish. Micromanaged schooling sounds like a law suit waiting to happen. Micromanaged anything sounds like why the economy is in the state it is in. Micromanaging is the worst type of business atmosphere. It stunts creativity as people are scared that someone else will take credit for their work.

Its the exact opposite of what Ed Catmull the CEO of Pixar lauded the University for providing an atmosphere that increased creativity. Ed Catmull says to the Harvard Business Review"Management’s job is not to prevent risk but to build the capability to recover when failures occur. It must be safe to tell the truth. We must constantly challenge all of our assumptions and search for the flaws that could destroy our culture."

This was not how the project was set up, at all. However, suffice it to say Ryan survived semester 1 of 2 of his capstone project and we hope and pray management looks at the project from the perspective stated above, or else you'll hear more about it after next semester.

But for now, we are free. We have no fears of people stealing our ideas or products to sell as their own, and for that it is a very Merry Christmas.